Brakes applied to Falcon's sales race hopes

Ford has reacted to complaints about the poor performance of the Falcon's brakes, confirming an upgrade 'within a month' for some models.

Brakes applied to Falcon's sales race hopes

16 June 1999Toby Hagon

Ford has reacted to complaints about the poor performance of the Falcon's brakes, confirming an upgrade "within a month" for some models.

Following reports of brake fade and failure from the NSW Police, Ford will increase the size of the master cylinder across its sporty XR sedan range. It will be the second upgrade to the AU Falcon range since the car's launch in September, and could spark the second price rise for the flailing Falcon, which is yet to beat its Holden Commodore rival in the sales race.

"The master cylinder will be replaced with a larger one which will give the impression of better pedal feel," said a Ford spokesman. "There are no changes to the brake pads (or calipers) themselves."

While the XR brake upgrade should not change the actual stopping performance of the car, Ford says it will reduce the spongy pedal feel, which can increase the driver's perception of brake fade.

Following the initial complaints, Ford supplied police with two test cars with upgraded brake parts. As well as a car with a larger master cylinder, police experts also looked at a more serious fix, involving larger calipers and pads. It is understood this second option would prove too costly if it were made standard.

Until the imminent upgrade, the brakes across the entire Falcon range, from base model Fortes and taxis to the high performance XR8, are identical. That's despite a Forte weighing 1,505kg compared with the 1,620kg for the much more powerful V8-powered XR8 and 1,670kg for a Fairmont Ghia V8.

Falcons with the upgraded brakes are expected to go on sale next month, although it is not yet known if the price of the XR models will increase.

Ford initially indicated a brake upgrade would translate into an increase in the list price of the car. The XR range is priced between $38,990 for an XR6 HP and $46,490 for an XR8.

Ford already upgraded its Falcon range in May, only seven months after the car's launch. The brake upgrade marks the second adjustment to the AU range, although Ford says it also changed the 16-inch wheels on XR6 models, following dealer feedback about the fiddly design of the previous alloy wheels.

All XR6s now come with the more stylish 16-inch wheels fitted to the newly released Falcon S, which are said to offer better ventilation to the brake pads themselves, reducing the chance of overheating.